Nati's history is history

New owners mum on plans

Three weeks after closing, the building that Nati's Mexican Restaurant called home for nearly 60 years was denied historic designation.

"The vote was 2-7, so it didn’t pass. This means the property can now be demolished."

Amie Hayes, a historic resources specialist with Save Our Heritage Organisation, was there for the city's June 28 hearing. She said no one from the Ocean Beach community showed. There was one email on record calling Nati's a landmark and lamenting anything that might replace it and chip away at the "quirky charm and character" of Ocean Beach.

Nati's 12-foot Voted Best Restaurant in Ocean Beach banner was donated to the local town council.

Image by Nicole Ueno

Hayes said that only two historic resources board members supported the designation. "The vote was 2-7, so it didn’t pass. This means the property can now be demolished." She did clarify that nothing was said about demolition at the hearing. The decision cannot be appealed.

Nati's new owners argued that Nati's structure wasn't unique in stylet. They cited the workmanship as average.

They concluded their case against designation by stating that Nati's doesn't share any common themes with structures in the immediate area, nor does it do anything to improve the area aesthetically or historically.

The building that Nati's Mexican Restaurant called home for nearly 60 years

After Nati's closed on June 7, their 12-foot "Voted Best Restaurant in Ocean Beach" banner was donated to the local town council for their annual holiday auction.

Though the banner is sans Nati's name, every local knows it. It's been an open joke on social media for years that Nati's winning the honor every single year since 2009 is tied to their advertising in the Beacon (award giver).

Two men lounging in Nati's garbage storage area in the rear parking lot on Friday.

Dick worked at Nati's for years. He's using an alias because receiving four weeks of severance required a promise "not [to] talk bad about Nati's."

He expected Nati's to be open until the end of summer, so he was shocked on June 3 when he was told they were closing on June 7. "We were told we would get a two-week notice and when we complained we were told 'well, that’s business.'"

He wishes the employees had been given the same chance that co-owners Marilyn Thomas and Dennis Kerr got to own Nati's after starting there as teenagers. He said some customers would have made an offer if they had known.

Dick said the new owners were at Nati's on their last day. When shown photos, he picked out Elbers and Donovan. "I've heard nothing but bad things about them."

If a rezoning attempt is in the cards, a community plan amendment will be needed as well as an expensive environmental review. Public input is mandatory during this process and can take 12 to 18 months. The California Coastal Commission will have to chime in, making it an even longer process. This might be motivation enough for the new owners to put something into Nati's spot so it's not vacant for too long. A local already saw two homeless-looking men lounging in Nati's garbage storage area in the rear parking lot on Friday.

When visiting Nati's before the July 4th holiday, I saw a graveyard of tables and chairs, ceramic senoritas, framed "Best Restaurant" awards, and photos inside. The most significant change is outside with the new pay parking lot. One local said it went up the day after Nati's shuttered.

I stopped by Donovan's Cass Street (Pacific Beach) office. The suite he lists on most of his limited liability company or LLC forms is actually a mailbox. An employee of the Surf & Post confirmed they have no office space.

The realtor Tony Franco that handled both sides of the Nati's deal posted on Facebook that he was happy to put the deal behind him. He's been given a hard time by locals over this and the deal he did for the old Antique Center, soon to be Target. Some locals call him "Mr. Target." He might prefer to be called "The Man that Changed OB."